We deserved the win

13 January 2015

rovers.co.uk

Eric Kinder was delighted to see his side progress through to the last eight of the Under-21s Premier League Cup after a dramatic 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Monday night.

Rovers were twice pegged back at Leigh Sports Village after Connor Mahoney and Dean Rittenberg had scored for the home side, but with the tie set for extra-time, Bradley Bauress was on hand to fire Rovers through four minutes from time.

"I thought we deserved the win, we created more chances than them," Kinder told Rovers Player.

"We made a couple of bad decisions for their two goals and paid the price for it. Saying that, I thought we played well all night."

Kinder was able to call upon several players who had been out on loan for the first half of the season as David Raya, Jack O'Connell, Anthony O'Connor, John O'Sullivan and Jordan Slew all featured.

And the Under-21s coach was pleased with the way they performed as their league experience showed to help Rovers to progress.

"It was good to see the lads back," said Kinder. "You send them out on loan for three or four months and see what they come back like, and they've all come back grown up.

"They are men now compared to what they were when they left us and that is the idea in sending them out on loan, it makes them grow up, get that extra responsibility and I think that showed. I was really pleased with all of them."

The victory means Rovers now face an away trip to take on Newcastle United in the quarter-finals, a side who beat Kinder's Under-21s 3-1 at Leigh earlier in the season.

"It'll be tough to go up to Newcastle because they showed how good they were when they played us down here," added Kinder.